


Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

by idra



Series: 30 Days of Fic (June 2014) [9]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Heartbreak, M/M, No Sex, alternative ending, finding out, just friendships, no relationships - Freeform, part of a series not on ao3 yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-11
Updated: 2014-06-11
Packaged: 2018-02-04 07:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1771501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idra/pseuds/idra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cam’s reaction to finding out the truth isn’t as happy as it should’ve been.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

**Author's Note:**

> An alternative ending to a fix series I finished six years ago. Series can be found [here](http://sdb50kwfic.livejournal.com/tag/50kw%3A%20cam%20ward).Short version is I claimed a table for 50kinkyways and wrote them as a long series of fic. The original ending is #50 of the kinkyways table, but I’d always planned to do an alternative ending. This is not as long as the one I was/am still planning, but it’s another option. All that said, you might not understand a lot of this if you haven’t read the series. Sorry about that.
> 
> Also, I am behind by a couple of days. This should've been the 9th of June's fic. Whoops. Working on the 10th's fic. then I'll get to today's. If I can.

I look at Mark, my eyes suddenly feeling hot. “You… You knew the hell I was going through. You knew and you never… Why, Mark? Why wouldn’t you just tell me? Even if you didn’t think I wanted you back, I was killing myself for you.”

Mark shakes his head and reaches forward, like he’s going to touch me. I hobble backwards, nearly falling on my ass. “Don’t touch me!” I shout, glancing around as I try not to cry. “I can’t be here. I can’t do this.” I look down, squeezing my eyes shut. “You could’ve been my whole world. We could’ve been together for forever.” I turn on my crutches and hobble from his locker room. After a while, I find myself back in my locker room with the rest of my team watching me. “Uh…” I lick my lips, not sure how to deal with this.

Next thing I know, John and Justin are by my side, helping me from the room. “He finally told you he was responsible for all of this?” John asks, a sharp bite to his voice. 

And somehow, that’s what snaps me out of my heartbreak. Oh, there will be tears later, and I’m sure my heart will shatter all over again, but did John just admit to knowing about Mark’s feelings about me? I yank away from him and stare at him. “You… You knew, all along, that Mark was my prize?” 

“Well, no. Just since your breakdown.” At John’s words, Justin literally slaps himself on the forehead and John seems to realize his mistake. “I mean, Cam, you weren’t in a good place and you wouldn’t have believed us.”

“Didn’t I have the right to choose though? To make a fully informed choice? Wasn’t that your whole problem with this thing from the fucking beginning?” I shove Justin away when he tries to touch me. “No, fuck you! You don’t get to fucking touch me or try to comfort me! You both knew! You knew something that could’ve saved me months of heartache and you let me go through with this shit anyhow instead of just telling me the truth!” I shake my head and storm away. I’m on the phone as I climb into a cab. I get a plane ticket and call someone I’m pretty sure I can trust. Though I have to admit, if Henrik knows about this, I’m just so fucking done with all of this. 

"Henrik? It's Cam. I..."

“I thought you were finishing your table.”

“I was. I… I need a friend, man. Like today. Like now?” I’m on the verge of just crying like a baby, but I can’t. Not yet. Not until I’m somewhere safe. “Please?”

“Of course. When and where are you coming in?”

“JFK. In about two hours. I’m sorry this is so last minute.”

“You need me. I’m there for you.” We talk for a few more minutes and I give him my flight information before we hang up. I head into the airport and after a quick check in-- it’s disturbingly easy to get through security with no bags and just my crutches-- I’m boarding the plane. Then I’m landing in New York before my ears have adjusted to the change in elevation. 

Henrik is there to greet me and I kind of fall into his arms. “Get me out of here, please?” 

He nods and has his arm around my waist, helping me out to his car and into the passenger seat. “Did you have any bags?” 

“No. Left without my stuff.” I sniffle and wipe at my face. I can’t cry. Not yet. I have to at least make it to his apartment. And I somehow succeed, even though all I have running through my head is thoughts of Mark, John and Justin all knowing the truth and not giving a shit about me anyhow. I thought they were my friends. I thought they cared about me. I thought-- my thought process stops when we pull into the parking garage of Henrik’s place.

Finally, we reach his place and the whole story comes out. How I’d blurted out my feelings for Mark, how he’d admitted that he was the reason behind this whole stupid thing, how John and Justin knew. I’m sobbing and pressed against Henrik and he doesn’t say a word. He just holds me and rubs my back, kissing my temple every so often.

At last, I’m all cried out and I just lean heavily against him. “What do I do, Henrik?” 

“You cannot play until you are better, yes?” 

“Yeah.” That’s not what I was expecting. I was expecting him to tell me to get back to Pittsburgh and forgive Mark and John and Justin. “Why?”

“You’ll stay with me. We’ll arrange it however we need to with your team. You’re not going home, not until you can see your teammates without punching the two idiots in the face.” He kisses my forehead. “For now, we’re going to eat. I was going to order some food before you called, but I decided to wait until I had you here. I’m going to order Chinese. What would you like?”

I tell him and he puts our order in, then he pulls me to my feet. “Can you get your stitches wet?” 

“Yeah. They’re not dissolvable.”

“You are going to soak in the tub then. C’mon. Into the bathroom with you.” He helps me into the bathroom and helps me strip down. Then he turns on the water, getting the temperature just the way I like it. He helps me in and smiles at me as he strokes my hair. “Who should I call to bring you some clothes?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t know of anyone who could…” I inhale slowly and exhale even slower. “Henrik, you can’t stay here with me, so… Shouldn’t I just go home?” 

“No.” Henrik shakes his head. “Don’t keep trying. I’ll call your Todd. He’ll help out.”

I sigh and shake my head. “Okay. Fine. Henrik?”

“Yes, Cam?”

“Thank you.” I smile sadly at him as he gets to his feet and grabs my cell phone. He doesn’t ask for what, because I’m pretty sure he knows anyhow. It’s nice to know I have someone out here who can help me and doesn’t seem to want to keep shit from me. 

I drift off and when I awaken, I would’ve sworn I’d heard voices. Not just Henrik’s, but someone else very familiar. I look around and realize I’m in Henrik’s bed. I frown a bit and sit up, looking for a clock. “Henrik?” 

“Just a minute, Cam.”

I sigh and slide out of bed. He’d apparent dressed me in one of his own pairs of sweats and even tugged on a shirt for me. I grab my crutches and limp my way out into the living room. I stop and frown when I see Justin and Johnny standing there. “What are you two doing here?”

“Cam,” Henrik says softly, turning from where he’s blocking their entrance. “You should be in bed. You’ve had a very hard day and you need your rest.”

“I’ll go when these two answer the question.”

“Cam, we just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Justin says, licking his lips. “We were worried when you took off.”

John shoves past Justin and is stopped by Henrik. “Cam, please, it’s not like we meant for this to hurt you. We just wanted to not make things worse.”

“And you didn’t think that once I found out you knew about his feelings for me and that you knew he was behind all of it, that that wouldn’t make it worse? I trusted you two. I loved you two and you betrayed me!” I shake my head. “I’d say I never want to see you two ever again, but let’s face it. We’re on the same team and that’s not possible. But, I will say, from now on our relationship is going to be strictly professional. I will ask for, and so will you, a room change. You will tell the coaches and Rod whatever you need to tell them to make sure I am no longer rooming with you. Coaches told me to take some time off, so you will pass along that I’m finally taking their advice. You will not call me, text me, email me or anything else until I’m ready to be friends with you.” At their stricken expressions, I shake my head. “Bottom line, from now until I think I can trust you enough to be friends with you? We’re teammates and that is it. Goodbye, gentlemen.” I turn and hobble back to Henrik’s bed. 

He joins me a little while later, crawling into bed with me. “They brought your bags. I peeked inside and it seems like you have enough clothes to last for a little while. I already called Todd though. He said he’d be up before the night’s done with more clothes.”

I nod and just press my face to his shoulder. “Don’t know what hurts worse; Mark starting this whole fucking thing or the two of them knowing about it and never telling me the truth. How’m I ever supposed to trust them again?” 

“I don’t know, Älskling. But I am here for you and Todd is ready to kill someone for you. He was so mad on the phone it sounded like he was strangling a cat.”

I snort at that image. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” Henrik smiles and presses his lips to my temple.

I chuckle at the idea and start to speak, but my stomach grumbling cuts me off. "Oh. Don't suppose you have leftovers from the Chinese food?" 

“I didn’t eat. After the food got here, I came to check on you but you were falling asleep in the tub. I got you out, dried you off and dressed you. Then I put the food away and curled up with you for a while before they got here.”

I snuggle against him. He takes such good care of me. He strokes my back and then laughs when both our stomachs grumble at us. “Okay. Sit up in bed. I’ll be right back.”

I force myself into a sitting position and lick my lips. “I could help.”

“No. You sit and relax. It won’t take me but a couple of minutes.” He winks at me and then heads out of the bedroom.

When I hear someone knocking on the door and I get to my feet. I swear, if this is Rex or John or Justin, I’m going to kill them. I head into the living room and my face lights up. “Todd!”

He turns from where he’s talking to Henrik who just nods and takes the stuff Todd’s handing him before he’s sweeping me up in a hug. “I had no idea they all knew. I mean, I’d heard vague rumours, but I didn’t want to get your hopes up in case they were wrong,” he mumbles against my neck. 

I hug him back, shaking my head. “I know you would’ve told me if you’d had proof.”

Todd pulls back, looking me over. “How are you doing, kid?” 

The only answer I can give him is a shrug. “I have been better. Could be worse, but I’ve definitely been better.”

He nods and wraps his arm around my waist. “Hank was telling me that you two were just getting ready to eat. I should let you do that.”

Henrik steps back into the room and I startle. Not sure when he left. “There is plenty. I always order a lot of extra so that I can have leftovers. Join us, Todd.”

I look between them and smile a bit. “Yeah. Please Todd?” 

Todd smiles and nods. “How could I possibly say no to such gorgeous goalies?” 

Henrik snorts, but I blush. “Yeah, whatever, big man. Let’s eat.”

Todd smirks and helps me into the kitchen where the three of us sit and eat. After the food is almost all gone, Todd joins Henrik and I in Henrik’s bed. They’re both curled around me, touching me gently. Not in a sexual way, which is good ‘cause I’m not sure I could handle that right now, but just comforting touches. I fall asleep to the two of them talking about who gets to kill who.

It’s that moment that lets me know I’m going to be okay. I know the truth behind all of it and I know I’ve lost three of the people I love the most, but I have Todd and Henrik. I still have Johan and Slava down in Atlanta. I will be okay because I have people who love and care for me and won’t let me be anything but okay. I smile in my sleep and settle in for the long road to recovery.


End file.
